Hello again from Kids Saving The Rainforest! 

​As promised in the last issue, I would like to introduce you to two very special baby sloths.  Dudley and Smokey are growing up together in our nursery. While their stories of how they got here are sad, they are both healthy and have each other to grow up with.​

Dudley came to us on July 23rd, 2019 after KSTR received a rescue call at a local hotel.  Dudley had fallen from her mother and she was unable to be reunited by hotel staff.  Dudley was very weak and her coloring was off when KSTR wildlife personnel arrived.  We had to make the tough choice of removing her and taking her to our clinic.  We photographed her mother and noted her location.
 
Our veterinarian and clinic staff did a full exam on Dudley and treated her.  She was found with a tick embedded in her fur and her weakness continued.  She regained her strength after a couple of days and we made Herculean attempts to reunite her with her mother.  Unfortunately, our attempts were unsuccessful and she was brought back to KSTR to be raised until she is ready for release back in the wild.

A fellow intern and I conducted behavioral observation to ensure that they were climbing well and showing natural activity schedules. Once we were certain they would survive in the wild, we took them out to an isolated patch of forest to release them. We decided to give them a soft release, and provided a nest box and food for them to get adjusted to their new home. When we opened up the doors of their kennel, they quickly climbed out and began to explore the trees and new scents around them. Pink has reappeared around a nearby house, but we hope this is an isolated incident and he will soon dwell solely in the forest where he belongs! Selah is doing great, and I'll be sure to include any updates about them in the future!

In addition to working with the kinkajous in rehab, I've gotten to know the sanctuary kinkajous pretty well. My research project involves putting up camera traps to monitor the two cages in the sanctuary, and when I began my project, I was blissfully unaware of how curious kinkajous are. I walked into Julian and Hillary's enclosure during the day when they were sleeping, and I started setting up the camera trap. A couple minutes later, I saw movement out of the corner of my eyes and suddenly Julian, the kinkajou that was supposed to be fast asleep, was right next to me!

He climbed up to the camera trap that I had so carefully placed inside the cage and began to paw and bite at it, and after he had thoroughly messed up all my hard work, he decided that I was the more interesting object in his enclosure. Moving more quickly than I could imagine, he climbed down a tree branch, crossed the ground to my leg, and promptly climbed up to my shoulder like I was some bizarre tree! Now, the rules of the sanctuary clearly state that interns are not allowed to touch, pet, or cuddle the animals, but I was never told what to do when the animal is on top of you! Unsure of what to do, I just waited, barely suppressing laughter, while he sniffed my hair, pawed at the radio on my belt, and chewed on my shirt. After a short while, he climbed back down to the ground, but since that incident I've learned my lesson and have started putting up the camera traps on the outside of their enclosures! From this close interaction, I also learned that despite the stinky rotting fruit rinds and poop they leave around their enclosure, kinkajous themselves actually smell quite nice! Their fur has a pleasant, nutty smell to it, which I would never have guessed before working with them. 


Citations: 
Kays R. Gittleman JL. 2001. The social organization of the kinkajou Potos flavus (Procyonidae). Journal of Zoology. 253(4): 491-504.
Kays RW. 1999. Food Preferences of Kinkajous (Potos flavus): A Frugivorous Carnivore. Journal of Mammalogy. 80:589-599. https://doi.org/10.2307/1383303

Karma Saving the Rainforest
By Karma Imagine Casey

Hello fellow Quepolandia readers! It's Karma Casey, the Kids Saving the Rainforest spokeskid! If you haven’t heard of KSTR, it’s a wonderful wildlife rescue and sanctuary non-profit right here in Quepos! They also plant trees and put up wildlife bridges in the area. For the last two years, I have been writing an article each month for Quepolandia, telling you all about KSTR and how to help the planet! This month's article is a little bit different than the rest. This is my farewell article, so you won’t be reading my byline at the top of the page anymore! 
Well, let's start from the beginning of my story. I was an eight year old girl who loved animals and wanted to help them, but I was too young to really help them where I lived. I was  just reading and researching about the majestic sloth (one of my favorite animals) when I saw the story about Jeannine and Aislin, the two nine year old girls who originally started Kids Saving the Rainforest. 

The girls lived in Manuel Antonio, and they could see that the rainforest was beginning to be destroyed. They began by painting rocks and selling other arts and crafts. With the money they raised, they would buy trees to plant. Kids Saving the Rainforest grew and grew, eventually getting permission from the Costa Rican government to open a wildlife sanctuary and veterinary clinic. It has been open for about twenty years now. Wow! That's a long time! 
I was so inspired by this story, that I decided to reach out to the amazing Jennifer Rice, the president of Kids Saving the Rainforest. I told her how it was my dream to come and help all the animals there. 

​Patrick has improved a lot recently, but he is still showing behaviors that indicated he is imprinted. To help with this and to allow him to learn more survival skills before being fully released, the clinic staff decided to release him from his smaller cage into the main boot camp area so that he would have a larger terrain to explore. Since porcupines are nocturnal, we released him in the late afternoon, closer to the start of his "day". We woke him up by tapping gently on his nesting box, then opening the door of his cage so he could walk out into boot camp. Hesitant at first, he climbed on top of the open door and spent a while looking around. Eventually, he climbed down and trotted out of his cage. As we expected, he immediately made his way to the three of us standing close by, determined to get the cuddles he so desperately wants. We spent a couple of minutes walking away from him (baby porcupines are thankfully not very fast!) until he got distracted by the sights and smells of the forest around him and ambled off into the bushes. Since then, we've seen him several times when feeding the sloths, and have always had to quickly walk away to avoid prickly porcupine cuddles. He still has a way to go before he is able to be released, but we were all very happy that he completed the next step towards freedom.

Citation:
Miller, M. 2009. "Sphiggurus mexicanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 02, 2019 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sphiggurus_mexicanus/

​Kids Saving The Rainforest received a call earlier this week of an electrocuted howler monkey in the Villa Lirio area. A KSTR ambulance responded but the howler had left prior to our arrival. We searched the area and were unable to locate it. The neighbor who called (Inigo) was concerned about the electrocutions and said they happen weekly in the area. Inigo said he wanted to sponsor a wildlife bridge and was put in contact with Jennifer at KSTR.

The power company ICE was contacted the same day.
The following day KSTR received another call from Inigo of a second electrocuted howler monkey at the same spot. Our ambulance arrived to find ICE employees on scene installing the wildlife bridge. The second adult howler was on the ground in front of Canyon Verde. As our ambulance driver neared the howler with a kennel and other equipment, the howler climbed up the fence near where it was laying on the ground. An ICE employee lowered a tree branch and the howler quickly jumped into the tree. It appeared to be strong again as it jumped from tree to tree.

Both of these monkeys were electrocuted by the 110v lines which delivered a lesser shock than the higher powered lines. It is believed they were both stunned from the falls and were possibly in shock from a combination of the shocks and falls.
​
Inigo continues to be very involved with KSTR and we are looking at installing more wildlife bridges in the area. This area has some power lines that are not insulated and continue to be a danger to the wildlife. Thank you Inigo for bringing this big problem to our attention and ICE for their quick response. KSTR will continue to be vigilant in the Villa Lirio area.

​Little Daisy, the black-bellied whistling duck, came in at just 23 grams, after being found alone away from her family.

She was growing up really fast and doing well, but she needed to be with other ducks, so she could have the best chance for a proper rehabilitation and release...so now she has been moved where she can socialize with other ducks!

​We will miss her and wish her the best of ‘duck’! 

ITV News: Costa Rican children saving the planet one tree at a time.
Click here to view the article and video on their website

The Associated Press (AP) came to visit Kids Saving the Rainforest.
Click here for a summary and video on Youtube

DW Global: Children saving the rainforest in Costa Rica
Click here to view the video on Facebook

​Luna is getting to be a proper raccoon these days! She is still pretty clumsy & needs assistance with feeding & toileting for a little longer, but she is making great progress! 
Photo credits: Lis Penhearow
Click here to view on Facebook

​Bloomberg TicToc: Kids Plant 10,000 Trees
​Click here to view the video on their website

Costa Rica named ‘UN Champion of the Earth’ for pioneering role in fighting climate change
Click here to view the article on their website

Come and run with us. For every person who participates we will plant a tree.
Vengan a correr por el bosque. Por cada corredor q participe sembraremos un árbol.
Click here to view on Facebook

Speaking of enrichments, one of the most important aspects of caring for captive animals is having an enclosure that simulates their natural environment. At Kids Saving the Rainforest, we fill cages with branches, ropes, and greenery. However, the fresh leaves in enclosures wilt after about a week, and when this happens we trek out into the jungle with machetes to cut down fresh palms and leaves for the cages. Forging through the jungle and hacking down giant leaves is difficult work, but the best part is when you get to design the arrangement of the greenery inside the cages and watch the animals explore their new environment.  

One of the best parts of my week was the trip to Parque Nahomi in Quepos. It's a very small, local park that sits on top of a peninsula that juts into the sea. I'm always amazed at the little pockets of beauty I find everywhere in this country.

Are you familiar with the term ‘Rainforest’?

As a name suggests, it is a type of forest that gets a lot of rain. And, such forests are immensely important for our entire planet.

In simple words, these forests are known as ‘Rainforest’s’ because they receive tons of rainfall every year. Did your kid have an idea about this fascinating ecosystem? And, is he or she wondering to know how these forests affect the food that we consume? Well, there are lots of things that every individual need to know about Rainforests. Well, in this post, we are decided to list some incredible facts about Rainforests for kids. But, before knowing about these, you should be aware of some actual terms of these forests.

What Are Rainforests?
​
A rainforest is a type of forest that gets a high quantity of rains every year and its area is warm, wet, and woodland. According to optimistic studies, the forest gets more than 80 inches (approximately 2000 millimetres) of rain within a single year.
Most rainforests are located in Brazil, and some you can find in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. According to Biologists, over half of all plant and animal species are found in the rainforest. The Experts of Pharmaceuticals says, more than ¼ of all medicines are an extract from these forests.

Types Of Rainforests:
There are only two main types of rainforests that are:
· Temperate Rainforests
· Tropical Rainforests
Temperate Rainforests:
Well, these types of rainforests are located between the tropics and the polar circles of the Earth. You can found such forests in a couple of regions around the globe like western North America, south-eastern Australia and New Zealand.
You can find different types of animals at temperate rainforests like bears, grey wolves, Siberian tigers, snow leopards pumas (mountain lion), kangaroos and wombats.

Tropical Rainforests:
Such types of rainforests are located in the tropics. You can found them in the specific areas that close to the equator such as Asia, Africa, Central America and the Pacific Islands.
There you can find animals such as jaguar, monkey, leopard, parrot, iguana, chimpanzee, gorilla, Indian cobra, and orangutan etc. If you want to track a high school GPA of your child, then visit calculator-online.net to utilize GPA calculator. You can monitor high school GPA within a couple of seconds with the ease of this tool.

Facts About Rainforests For Kids:
Read on!
· The 4 square mile patch of rainforest are covered with 150 species of butterflies, 400 species of birds, 1500 flowering, and 750 species of trees
· The trees of tropical rainforests are amazingly covered with canopy as the rains falling can take maximum 10 minutes to reach the surface of the ground
· Except for Antarctica, rainforests are found around all the continents of the earth, because the environment of Antarctica is too cold
· There are more than 6 million square miles of the rainforest, but less than half of that found around the world because of deforestation. Studies found that, if this deforestation continues in the same way, then only 5-10 species will go lost within 10 years
· The IUFRO found that there are around 80% of the flowers which are found in the rainforests of Australia and aren’t found anywhere else throughout the globe
· Around the tropical rainforest, the insects found which create the majority of the living creatures
· According to Geographical studies, several tribes in Brazil still live in the rainforests, and these tribes don’t have any contact with the outside world. The people of these tribes are dependent on these forests to fulfil their daily needs
· The fascinating fact is that the tropical rainforest supply the bulk amounts of oxygen that we take in our daily lives
· According to optimistic research, rainforests are the legit source that maintains our entire provision of safe drinking water. We get 1/5th part of the freshwater through the tropical rainforests. The Amazon basin is the exact source!
· An expert says, there are around 70% of the plants found in Amazon rainforest that can assist in treating cancer. Additionally, the U.S. Cancer Institute declares that these plants are highly effective and utilized to treat the cancer
· The Rainforest of Amazon is too large; if this forest were a country, then studies show that this become the 9th largest country of the world
· There are migratory birds are live in the rainforest during winter, and these birds come back in summer and spring region
· The rainforests which are located in Europe have 570 species of butterfly, and the forest of Peru only has 1300 species of butterflies
· Studies found that there are some rainforests around the globe which gets over 100 inches of rainfall nearly every year
· In Tasmania rainforest, some pine trees are found that can live up to 2000 years

Layers of Rainforests:
There are four layers of rainforest mentioned below:
· Emergent Layer
· Canopy Layer
· Understory Layer
· Forest Floor
​
What Do People get From Rainforests?
There are ample of things that we get from the Rainforest that includes:
· Chocolate
· Medicines
· Sugar
· Spices such as ginger, coconut, allspice, pepper, cinnamon, paprika, clove, and vanilla
· Bamboo
· Rubber

How can you help the rainforest:

You can help the rainforest by choosing eco friendly products, lowering your meat intake, buying local organic produce, using products with out palm oil,and donating to charities like ours that work hard everyday to protect and take care of the rainforest and the animals that live in it.
To donate please click on this link.
Every amount helps.

We were picked up at the airport and driven to our destination, stopping for coffee and to see the crocodiles sunning themselves on the river banks. A wonderful beginning. We arrived at the Blue Banyan Inn, KSTR, animal rescue where we were welcomed by Mackenzie, one of the amazing staff, who showed us to our cottage (very cute, comfortable beds, toilet, shower). He then showed us around the grounds and the sanctuary. We couldn't wait to start working!

We came back to an absolutely delicious lunch, including of course rice and beans, fresh fruit and vegetables etc. The whole staff sat together with volunteers. There were 5 volunteers the four of us and a girl from Scotland who became our very close friend. Chip and Jennifer, who started the whole project were incredibly warm, welcoming and energetic. Work started early the next morning after (the best) banana pancakes, eggs, fruit, coffee and orange juice served by Chip himself. 

We cleaned and scrubbed cages, took out and washed all the dirty bowls, swept the stuck leaves of the paths in the sanctuary, prepared food, and learned about the animals. We were all there for them and we fell in love! Cooling off in the gorgeous pool, watching and discovering everything. The fruits, the trees, the flowers, the birds, the iguanas, the spiders and the myriad of butterflies like flowers in the air, constantly around us. Excellent buffet all together and back to work for the afternoon.

We met and became friends with the most amazing, interesting and passionate people. Volunteering at the KSTR table at Manuel Antonio Park was a whole new experience. A totally new way of life. We were free after to explore the park and the beaches. No words!

​On the last day Chip insisted we go on a Catamaran for a morning of dolphins, snorkeling, totally unexpected delicious lunch, and slides into the ocean. It was very difficult to leave. Time seems to go at a different pace there. A week feels like two. I think we had about 5 mosquito bites between us and loved the weather, though hot and humid, with beautiful rain late afternoon. We all cannot wait foe our next adventure with you. 

Greetings from the rainforest! This week, I've decided to feature toucans! These birds are very common in Costa Rica, and I never tire of seeing them flying in the wild.

There are two species of toucans endemic to Costa Rica: the keel-billed toucan and the chestnut-mandibled toucan. The keel-billed toucan is probably the bird you think of when someone says the word "toucan". Their beaks look painted: a fantastical combination of blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. I haven't seen one in the wild as these birds are found more in the north, but around Quepos, the second species of Costa Rican toucan, the chestnut-mandibled toucan, is very common. These birds are larger, with more subtle beaks than their rainbow-billed relatives. Their beaks are a combination of rich brown, yellow, and bright green, and their vivid coloration is most likely used in courtship or intimidation displays. Toucans eat fruit, eggs, and small animals, and they are surprisingly adept at using their large bills to manipulate and eat food. When they find a fruit, they pluck it from the tree and hold it with the tip of their beak. They toss it in the tip of their beak several times, then toss it backwards down their throat. Due to their large size and dexterity, there are few fruits they can't eat. In fact, I've seen a toucan cut open a mamón (basically a lychee with a much tougher peel) and eat it in as little as ten seconds. I haven't seen one catch a lizard or steal a bird egg yet, although I'm sure that would be interesting to see.

​Toucans have a special place in my heart because they were one of the first animals to welcome me to my new home. After I arrived at Kids Saving the Rainforest, I was given a tour of the wildlife sanctuary. During this tour, I heard a bird call that was unlike any I'd heard before. Sonorous calls that sounded halfway between a shriek and a chirp, the sounds emanated from the rainforest, and I couldn't believe it when I heard that these were wild toucans close by. On my first full day of my internship, I woke up early before work and went out onto the balcony to look at the sunrise over the jungle. I heard those same, wild calls again, and to my delight I saw three toucans hopping among the branches in the tall trees around me! Toucans sit in trees and majestically look around them, resplendent beaks and striking black feathers standing out as they soberly scan their surroundings. Suddenly, they burst into a flurry of action, and little legs propel them forward as they daintily hop and flutter between branches. When they find food, usually a piece of fruit hanging from a tree, they pluck it with the tip of their massive beak, toss it up and down a couple of times, then deftly toss it into the back of their throat and swallow. Occasionally, they sharpen their beak on a branch with a surprisingly loud scraping sound. They split the balance between regal beauty and absurdity, their ornate beak sometimes adding majesty to their movements, sometimes adding an air of ridiculousness. 

I have worked with one chestnut-mandibled toucan so far at Kids Saving the Rainforest. Her name was Mandy, and she came in before I arrived, brought in by a Tico who found her with a broken leg. Diego, one the veterinarians, showed me videos of her shortly after she arrived. A pitiful sight, she sat on a blanket in the bottom of the cage, her leg too damaged for her to perch on a branch. Due to the extent of her injury, few people had hope when she was brought in that she could someday be released. However, the vet staff decided to give her a chance because she kept trying: fighting and struggling to perch and fly around the cage. Once she had healed enough to perch, they performed physical therapy by making her move around the cage to strengthen her leg. Because her leg healed at an angle, she will never move exactly like she did before. However, when I first saw her after months of healing, I could barely tell that there was anything wrong with her. In fact, by the time I had arrived, the staff at KSTR was already discussing releasing her. They decided to do a soft release, which involves releasing an animal into the wild but still setting out food for them in an accessible location to make it easier for them to get adjusted to the wild. On Sunday night, we caught Mandy from her cage in rehab and moved her to a smaller cage in the nursery to let her become familiar with the area overnight. The next morning, we placed a bowl of food on top of the cage, opened the cage door, then stood back to watch what she would do. After a couple minutes of hesitation, she hopped out of her cage into a tree branch next to her food bowl. A previous intern that was heavily involved in her physical therapy and rehabilitation had written a poem before the end of her internship that she requested to be read when Mandy was released. While Mandy ate a full breakfast from her food bowl, we read the poem aloud to her to commemorate the hard work this intern had invested and to laud Mandy's fighting spirit. Mandy then began hopping and fluttering through the tree branches as toucans do. She attempted to fly out of the tree, but faltered and fell into the branches of the next tree over. Since she had been in cages that limited her flight abilities for several months, she would need practice before being able to fly long distances again. Having a guaranteed food source out for her ensures that until she is capable of flying to fruit trees, she'll be able to eat and stay healthy.

​One last thing: I would be remiss if I didn't mention in this creature feature the toucan's striking cousin, the aracari. These little birds look like an child's drawing come to life. They're best described as a smaller, skinnier toucan with a color palette that only draws from black, red, orange, yellow, and white. I could write another whole blog post about them (and very well might in the future!), but for now I'll leave you with a picture of Camelio, the fiery-billed aracari in the sanctuary at KSTR.